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The Week In Music: Is Madonna Like A Cougar?

Madonna's still as sexy and controversial as ever at age 53, and we've got the proof. She started the week promoting her new film, W.E., at a Venice film festival, where she dissed a gift-giving fan for presenting her with a hydrangea, a flower the material girl said she "loathes" into a live mic. But the week ended on a possibly more positive note, depending on how you feel about cougars (not the large cat native to the Americas, but the saucy older women native to the Courtney Cox sitcom). Dating site Cougarlife.com has offered Madonna $300,000 to write and record a song to help promote the service. The company said in the offer that Madge — who is currently dating 24-year-old Brahim Zaibat and formerly dated then-22-year-old Brazilian model Jesus Luz after splitting with Guy Ritchie — is "without a doubt the queen of cougars." Madonna has yet to respond to the offer, and while it's not likely to make her feel like a virgin, at 53, we'd still take it as a compliment.

To borrow a question from Hank Williams Jr., "Are you ready for some football?" Of course you are. As the NFL gears up for its slate of opening games this weekend, musicians are helping to kick off the road to Super Bowl XLVI in February. Before the season's first game last night between the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers, GRAMMY-winning artists Maroon 5, Kid Rock and Lady Antebellum provided the entertainment during the NFL's Kickoff Concert. On Sept. 10 NBC will air a special season preview featuring a finale showcasing footage of Jon Bon Jovi's Sept. 11 tribute performance of "America The Beautiful" at a New York firehouse earlier this week. On Sunday, several artists will sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at home openers, including Colbie Caillat (San Diego Chargers), David Cook (Kansas City Chiefs), Lady Antebellum (New York Jets), and Jordin Sparks (Arizona Cardinals), among others. In the meantime, if you need help finalizing your pick for NFL MVP or the teams who will battle it out for the Vince Lombardi Trophy, check out the predictions from the experts at NFL.com.

Speaking of sports, have you ever found yourself at a professional sporting event where the singer botched the national anthem? Well, fortunately for performers here in the United States, fines don't exist for those who take "artistic license" (Roseanne Barr anyone?) with the song. But for performers in Romania who put their own spin on the country's national anthem, there's apparently a price to pay. Romanian singer Marcel Pavel and the Romanian Football Federation have each been fined $1,685 due to the former exercising creative license with the country's national anthem. While performing the anthem during a football match between Romania and France on Sept. 6, Pavel left out the line "Triumphant in battle, his name was Traian" and changed the beat. While an official court decision is pending, it doesn't look like Pavel will be having an encore. We can only wonder how much Jimi Hendrix would have been fined if he had performed a guitar-laced version of Romania's national anthem.

Let's face it, getting a tattoo is a serious commitment. But getting a tattoo of your favorite musical artist? That's arguably the mark of the ultimate fan. Unfortunately, sometimes music-related ink seems like a better idea on paper then it ends being on the skin. In that spirit, Loudwire has issued its list of the 10 worst rock tattoos ever. Making the grade were the "World's Worst Slayer Tattoo," "Hair Metal Disaster," "Horrendous Metallica Mural," and our personal favorite, "Hair(y) Metal Leg." Coming in at No. 1 was the "Earth Crisis Face Tattoo," a tattoo that…well, you just have to see for yourself. We're not here to judge, after all art is subjective. However, before showcasing your love and devotion for your favorite band on your skin, how about a temporary tattoo first?

As founder of seminal alt-country groups Uncle Tupelo and Wilco, Jeff Tweedy has forged a career as a latter-day literate pop poet. So maybe it wasn't totally unexpected when he turned a book release party (for author Dan Sinker's The F***ing Epic Twitter Quest Of @MayorEmanuel) into a poetry reading, though his choice of material might have been eye-opening: the Black Eyed Peas' "My Humps." Of course, pop music lyrics were never meant to be read aloud as literature, but when they are it can be pretty entertaining, and Tweedy turns in a nice comic performance. Tweedy isn't the first to go for the easy pop-lyric laugh. Former "The Tonight Show" host Steve Allen may have pioneered the form, and the great Peter Sellers turned in a "Macbeth"-worthy spin on the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" in the '60s. No word on whether the "My Humps" reading will be included on Wilco's upcoming The Whole Love album.

Things are starting to shake up at Yahoo as CEO Carol Bartz was let go on Sept. 6. Yahoo CFO Tim Morse will replace Bartz in the interim, but who will be the company's fearless leader going forward? According to a report, Yahoo could be turned into a doggy dogg world as rapper Snoop Dogg seems to think he'll be taking over the company. After hearing the news about Bartz, Snoop tweeted, "Im takn over as tha CEO of Yahoo. Need sum of tha Snoop Dogg content ya digg. Nuff Said." Morse, under the guise of the handle NewCEOofYahoo, replied, "Haha Snoop Dog, sorry that position is already filled. I enjoy listening to your music." (Yahoo has not verified the authenticity of the Twitter account.) The conversation continued, as Snoop replied, "My name is already rasin tha stock price of Yahoo uhearme!! Bout to call a board meeting!" While the position has indeed been filled, Snoop may soon be rollin' down the streets at Yahoo. We say, "Fo shizzle."

Adele's "Someone Like You" is No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and iTunes singles chart.

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